Nate's "Oceanfront Bar" Mixed Reef Build!

[NastayNatron]

While I was waiting for the tank, I spent a bit of time reinforcing my IKEA stand. I secured a piece of 1/2" plywood across the back, using screws and wood glue. I also added four pieces of 2x4 on the bottom of the stand to spread out the weight. Here are a couple pics of the work:

Before:



After:



I ended up adding another hole on viewers left of that photo into the back of the 2nd cabinet. This will allow for the reactor plumbing. The back was painted white with Kilz Primer before being put back into place.

Well, after what felt like a lifetime, I finally picked up the tank, sump, and protein skimmer! Pics pics pics!

















I am very happy with how everything is turning out! The one-piece euro brace looks as good as I was hoping. I ordered a couple of the self-leveling mats from Innovative Marine to place on the bottom of the tank and sump. I cut them to fit and they look great! You should be able to spot them in the photos.

[NastayNatron]

Alright time for a plumbing update. Lets start with my bean animal overflow and returns. I wanted everything along the back of the tank to be black, drain pipes into the cabinet to be red, and the returns to be white. To accomplish this I ordered colored pvc from BRS. I looked around for a local supplier but had a really hard time finding anything. Maybe only the reefing community cares about stylish plumbing. As for black fittings, that was another story. I decided to go with krylon fusion for plastic paint and use white fittings. I sanded each fitting well before applying the paint. I also had to make a few modifications to some of the fittings in order to keep them from being visible when viewing the tank. This, and of course tapping the 1/4" threads into the top of the open channel cap. I used low profile strainers on each of the drains as well. Check it out!

















You'll notice the two lines running to the cabinet opposite the sump. They are feeding my reactor. I had originally planned to keep the reactor in the same cabinet as the sump, but due to size constraints, it was banished to the far cabinet. I do have exciting plans for that side of things in the future!

[NastayNatron]

On to the sump! Things came together pretty nicely for such a small space. The reactor outlet enters back into the sump as a silicone line. I did this strictly so its easy to pull the line out and place it in a bucket while rinsing carbon/gfo. Enjoy!

[NastayNatron]

It's wet!



Time to finally get my rocks up into the tank! While researching aquascaping ideas, I came across one photo that I thought would fit my tank perfectly. I couldn't get the image out of my head so I decided to try and mimic it as best I could.

Inspiration:



Off to work! I used a hammer drill bit in a standard cordless drill to create holes where I needed them in the rock. Following that I inserted 3/8" acrylic rod into the holes. Some of the rock was epoxied, but a large amount was not. This way, if needed, I can easily lift a rock out of the tank off the acrylic rod.

[NastayNatron]

Once everything was rigged up outside of the tank, in they went!







Annnnd the completed product! I am happy with how it came out. I made sure to keep enough room between the glass and rock for adequate cleaning. Check it out!

[NastayNatron]

Might as well keep the posts rolling! Time for sand. I used CaribSea Aragonite Special Grade Reef Sand. It's the sand I have used in past tanks and I've always liked it, so why not.

RO Rinse! I did 5 rounds of rinsing and that cleaned it up nicely.





Into the tank!

[warriorcookie]

Looks great! Can't wait to see how this one turns out!

Make sure there's enough room between your rocks and glass for your algae magnet. One on the right looks like it could be too close.

[NastayNatron]

After a bunch of back and forth, I decided to order the new Vertex Cerebra controller! I have it installed and wired in and will make sure to put an update on that all shortly. For now, check this beauty out! Bomb-proof packing as per all Vertex gear.